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Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church National Historic Site
Encyclopedia
Gloria Dei Church, founded in 1677, and built between 1697 and 1700, is a historic church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The congregation was originally Swedish Lutheran, but has been Episcopalian
since 1845.
and second oldest Swedish church
in the United States after Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)
in Wilmington, Delaware
. Swedish pioneers of New Sweden
were the first to settle the area in 1646. An existing blockhouse at Wicaco, (now South Philadelphia) had been renovated for worship in 1677 and used until the present church (built beginning in 1697) was consecrated on the First Sunday after Trinity
, July 2, 1700. A fire destroyed many of the church records in 1740. Colonial painter Gustavus Hesselius
was a member here.
In 1703, Gloria Dei was the site of the first regular Lutheran
ordination in the Western hemisphere, that of Justus Falckner
, a German theology student. Jenny Lind
sang here during one of her American tours. Hanging in the center aisle is a Swedish chandelier given by famous Swedish artist Carl Milles
. Recollections of many Swedish royal and episcopal visits are treasured memories including models of Fogel Grip
and Kalmar Nyckel
, the first Swedish ships to arrive in New Sweden.<.
It is located at Columbus Boulevard (previously known as Delaware Avenue) and Christian Street. There is a fine collection of historical and religious artifacts the church has acquired over three centuries, including bronze crosses and 18th Century bibles in Swedish and English. In 1845, the formerly Swedish Lutheran congregation joined the Episcopal Church
. Today the church is owned and maintained by its congregation of Episcopalians.
on November 17, 1942. It is an affiliated area of the National Park Service
under Independence National Historical Park
. The church site is owned and administered by the Corporation of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on October 15, 1966.
There is also a memorial to John Hanson
, a President of the Continental Congress
during the American Revolution
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The congregation was originally Swedish Lutheran, but has been Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
since 1845.
Background
Gloria Dei is the oldest church in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and second oldest Swedish church
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
in the United States after Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)
Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)
Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes is a church in Wilmington, Delaware that is a National Historic Landmark. It was dedicated on July 4, 1699.-History:...
in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. Swedish pioneers of New Sweden
New Sweden
New Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
were the first to settle the area in 1646. An existing blockhouse at Wicaco, (now South Philadelphia) had been renovated for worship in 1677 and used until the present church (built beginning in 1697) was consecrated on the First Sunday after Trinity
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity...
, July 2, 1700. A fire destroyed many of the church records in 1740. Colonial painter Gustavus Hesselius
Gustavus Hesselius
Gustavus Hesselius was a Swedish born painter who emigrated to the New World in 1711. He was the father of painter John Hesselius and cousin of the religious leader Emanuel Swedenborg.-Biography:...
was a member here.
In 1703, Gloria Dei was the site of the first regular Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
ordination in the Western hemisphere, that of Justus Falckner
Justus Falckner
Justus Falckner was a Lutheran minister and the first Lutheran pastor to be ordained within the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 together with Jehu Jones and William Passavant.-Background:Falckner was the fourth son of Daniel...
, a German theology student. Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
sang here during one of her American tours. Hanging in the center aisle is a Swedish chandelier given by famous Swedish artist Carl Milles
Carl Milles
Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor, best known for his fountains. He was married to artist Olga Milles and brother to Ruth Milles and half brother to the architect Evert Milles...
. Recollections of many Swedish royal and episcopal visits are treasured memories including models of Fogel Grip
Fogel Grip
The Fogel Grip was a Swedish sailing ship originally built in the Netherlands in the early 1600s. She was used on the first Swedish expedition in 1638 together with the Kalmar Nyckel to establish the colony of New Sweden.-The ship:Little is known about the vessel. Fogel Grip was a Full rigged...
and Kalmar Nyckel
Kalmar Nyckel
The Kalmar Nyckel was a Dutch-built armed merchant ship famed for carrying Finnish and Swedish settlers to North America in 1638 to establish the colony of New Sweden. A replica of the ship was launched at Wilmington, Delaware, in 1997.-History:The Kalmar Nyckel was constructed in about 1625 and...
, the first Swedish ships to arrive in New Sweden.<.
It is located at Columbus Boulevard (previously known as Delaware Avenue) and Christian Street. There is a fine collection of historical and religious artifacts the church has acquired over three centuries, including bronze crosses and 18th Century bibles in Swedish and English. In 1845, the formerly Swedish Lutheran congregation joined the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
. Today the church is owned and maintained by its congregation of Episcopalians.
Administrative history
The church was designated a National Historic SiteNational Historical Park
National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...
on November 17, 1942. It is an affiliated area of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
under Independence National Historical Park
Independence National Historical Park
Independence National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Philadelphia that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National Park Service, the park comprises much of the downtown historic...
. The church site is owned and administered by the Corporation of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 15, 1966.
Cemetery
The church cemetery includes the following interments:- Sven GunnarssonSven GunnarssonSven Gunnarsson was a founder of the New Sweden colony, owner of land which today is most of present-day Society Hill in Philadelphia, and a progenitor of the Du Pont family in modern-day Delaware.-New Sweden colony:...
(d. 1678), one of the first buried at the church, a founding father of the New SwedenNew SwedenNew Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
colony. - John C. HuntersonJohn C. HuntersonJohn C. Hunterson was a Medal of Honor recipient in the American Civil War.He mustered in with Company B of the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry as a Private on July 23, 1861. He mustered out with his company, August 24, 1864....
, Civil War soldier and Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient (issued August 2, 1897). - William IrvineWilliam Irvine (physician)William Irvine was an Irish-American physician, soldier, and statesman from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.Irvine was born near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh in Ireland...
(1741–1804), Revolutionary War officer and physician. - George Ord, Sr. (d. 1806), Revolutionary War adventurer, sea captain.
- George Ord, Jr.George OrdGeorge Ord was an American ornithologist.Ord was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a rope maker and Ord joined him in the business, continuing after his father's death in 1806...
(1781–1866), ornithologist. - James PealeJames PealeJames Peale was an American painter, best known for his miniature and still life paintings, and a younger brother of noted painter Charles Willson Peale....
(1749–1831), Revolutionary War officer and artist (brother of Charles Willson PealeCharles Willson PealeCharles Willson Peale was an American painter, soldier and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, as well as establishing one of the first museums....
). - Sarah Miriam PealeSarah Miriam PealeSarah Miriam Peale was an American portrait painter, one of the notable family of artists descended from the miniaturist and still-life painter James Peale, who was her father. She is noted as a portrait painter, mainly of politicians and military figures...
(1800–1885) portrait painter, daughter of James Peale. - Thomas SmithThomas Smith (Pennsylvania congressman)Thomas Smith was a Federalist member of the United States House of Representatives who served Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1815 to 1817....
(d. January 29, 1846), U.S. Congressman. - Alexander WilsonAlexander WilsonAlexander Wilson was a Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, naturalist, and illustrator.Wilson was born in Paisley, Scotland, the son of an illiterate distiller. In 1779 he was apprenticed as a weaver. His main interest at this time was in writing poetry...
(1766–1813), ornithologist and illustrator. - Amandus JohnsonAmandus JohnsonAmandus Johnson was an American historian, author and founding curator of the American Swedish Historical Museum...
( 1877–1974), Swedish-American scholar and founder of the American Swedish Historical MuseumAmerican Swedish Historical MuseumThe American Swedish Historical Museum is the oldest Swedish-American museum in the United States. It is located in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on part of a historic 17th-century land grant originally provided by Queen...
.
There is also a memorial to John Hanson
John Hanson
John Hanson was a merchant and public official from Maryland during the era of the American Revolution. After serving in a variety of roles for the Patriot cause in Maryland, in 1779 Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress...
, a President of the Continental Congress
President of the Continental Congress
The President of the Continental Congress was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the convention of delegates that emerged as the first national government of the United States during the American Revolution...
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in Pennsylvania
- Laurentius CarelsLaurentius CarelsLaurentius Carels was one of the first settlers of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and one of the first Swedish Lutheran clergyman in New Sweden. As was typical among Swedish ministers, he generally used a Latinized version of his name Laurentius Caroli Lockenius...
, Swedish American Lutheran pastor
External links
- Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church
- NPS website: Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site
- Cemetery Guide (PDF)
- Listing, photographs, and drawings Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
- Churches of New Sweden
- Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Burial Ground at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...